Intervention

Workaholics, alcoholics, sexaholics — they’re all the same. When something’s controlling your life and ruining everything else around you, it’s an addiction. Admitting it is up to the “holic” in question. If he or she chooses to deny it, that’s where loved ones come in.\nSometimes, you need an intervention. I’m not just talking about a Bahamavention or a trip to rehab. \nFirst aired in 2005, the A&E reality show “Intervention” follows various addicts while their friends and family attempt to give them one last ultimatum. The program provides a gripping and often disturbing look at the world of addicts. If A&E fails to get back to you in time, try to think back to a time before reality shows did all our dirty work for us and put matters into your own hands. \nThis is exactly what two of my friends did this past week to our “men-aholic” friend. After the men-aholic in question confessed to seeing a lowlife of a guy this past weekend, they both realized it had to stop. Because these two interventionists are also budding entrepreneurs and Kelley business majors, they set up a contract. \nNo sex, dates or booze until the end of the semester. If these guidelines are broken, the men-aholic must pay $100 to each interventionist. She must also knock on every door in her dorm, declaring to each one of her floormates that she is an idiot. If the men-aholic deceives the interventionists, she must pay an additional $500 for lying. There are two exceptions in this contract: The menaholic is allowed to consume alcohol during spring break, and she is allowed to date one interventionist-approved male. \nThis weekend, the men-aholic did not break any of her terms. On Friday evening, amongst the two interventionists and the menaholic, I told a group of our friends at a party of this experiment. These girls immediately began laughing — commending the men-aholic while claiming they could never sign such a contract themselves.\nCollege has more or less accepted sexaholism and alcoholism not as problems or addictions, but as social norms. There’s hardly such a thing as a casual drinker. And let’s face it, nobody’s drinking Kamchatka vodka for its refined taste. This is the way of life. \nAnd in a way, that’s what the social aspect of college is all about. When you’re not studying, writing papers or trying to find an internship for the summer, you want to unwind. It’s a means to get all the crazy out of us before we hit the real world. What young Hollywood socialites are being condemned for isn’t far off the social norms of college life. \nBut addictions, vices and bad habits don’t just disappear when we graduate. They are often self-perpetuating and then you end up with a bad case of syphilis and a worthless liver. \nSo, when you’re choosing to live free or die hard, try to use some moderation. If not, your best friends might creep up on you and stage an intervention.